Brewers fans will hate Craig Counsell's mentality after facing a chorus of boos

Milwaukee Brewers fans greeted former manager Craig Counsell with a chorus of boos, as expected. The Benedict Arnold of Wisconsin, as one Brewers fan put it, got his own tribute video, though it wasn't well-received by fans in attendance at American Family Field.

While Counsell was a bit surprised by the level of hate he received -- he suggested over the weekend that the crowd would be split between Brewers and Cubs fans -- he took the negative energy in stride.

“Look, cheer, boo, whatever, man,” Counsell said. “Just have a good time at the game. That’s what fans get to do. Just have a good time. It’s Memorial Day. You don’t have to work today. Let’s all have a good time.”

Craig Counsell has the right mentality in Milwaukee return for Cubs

Counsell sees the forest through the trees, if you will. The Cubs have now lost five straight games, and a loss against the Brewers on Monday after a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals has them 4.5 games back of Milwaukee in the standings.

“It’s a team in your division, a team that’s playing really well,” Counsell said. “You know, we are not playing very well right now, so we’re trying to get things on track. That tends to be where your thoughts go in this job.”

Craig Counsell, Cubs lose fifth straight game

Counsell's return was overshadowed by an elite pitchers duel between Justin Steele and Robert Gasser. Both pitchers went at least six innings and left with nothing but zeroes on the board. Chicago's bullpen eventually relented, giving up five runs in the decisive eighth inning.

While Counsell was given a deserved record contract by the Cubs this winter, it's his replacement in Milwaukee who is getting some early-season NL manager of the year hype. Pat Murphy has been excellent, as have the Brewers without their longtime skipper. Matt Arnold and the Brewers front office believe in the system they have in place over any one player, manager or executive.

Murphy maintains and excellent relationship with Counsell, even though the pair of friends are now rivals.

“I think it was good yin and yang between us,” Murphy said. “I think he did more for me than I did for him, to be quite honest.”

Betrayal or not, baseball always comes first for Murphy and Counsell. That is one trait they have in common. And right now, the Brewers are playing a far superior product than the Cubs, which is a problem for Counsell.